Ranma Saotome (Temporal Nexus)
Ranma Saotome ---43, Time Patrol Officer, Avatar of Shiva Background Long ago there had been a boy named Saotome Ranma whose one passion in life was the study of the martial arts. It was all that mattered to him, all he wanted and aspired to be, following his father's footsteps in the art even long after he had become aware of his guardian's moral failings and personal shortcomings. It was all he wanted to be, to be the best there was, to be stronger than his father in the art and to always win his battles. Then one day he met another boy who seemed to share his passion in the art, his first real friend in childhood, who at first fought with him but later started making lunch and acting nice to him and treating him like he was something special, a unique sensation in his limited awareness. When they parted ways the boy had been so sad, but as time did with youth the memories were soon lost and forgotten. There were new things to learn, and he had a long way to go before he could be the best, as he wanted. Then later he met the boy again only surprise of surprises, he wasn't a boy, he was a remarkably cute and vivacious young woman. Ranma had felt incredibly awkward about this discovery, unable to believe that he had never known the difference before, yet unable to say why it made him feel so awkward. When that childhood friend turned out to be not only a girl but a fiancée it changed everything that Ranma had thought he had known about their past relationship, and it made it hard to think of her in these new terms where what had been boyish and manly was suddenly forbidden and Hentai. Ukyo was a cross dresser by choice, not because of a curse like the one Ranma lived under. It confused him to no end, and Ranma had to mentally adjust to his own reactions, the confused feelings that he felt whenever Ukyo made loving eyes towards him or was nice to him in ways that went beyond mere friendship. And then came the day when he hurt his friend and crushed her dreams beneath his foot with no more thought or intention than one might feel stepping on an insect. He had thought he had been doing the right thing, that he had never intentionally led her on or deceived her of his intentions, and he had tried his best--in his stumbling, hesitant way--to make things right with her by maintaining their friendship long after he had married Akane. Over the course of the next year, when that marriage steadily progressed from bliss to a waking nightmare, Ukyo had stuck by him and stayed true to their friendship, never truly giving up on her feelings towards Ranma but no longer actively pursuing a relationship either. It was she who recommended counseling when Akane's mental state began to deteriorate, along with their marriage, and Ukyo who all but dragged him to those therapy sessions where he had a chance to witness for himself what other people experienced in abusive relationships at the hands of spouses who were alternately pleasant and beastly, and Ukyo who tried to get him medical treatment when Akane did more than the usual amount of damage to his person. Ranma had fallen far during his year of hell, when his health had faltered and his ability to heal back from injuries was taxed beyond endurance. In all that time Ukyo had never complained or cursed him for their friendship, but Ranma had never truly appreciated what hell he had put her through being forced to witness his life with Akane. He never truly understood her loyalty to him or appreciated how much he had depended on her as the only one who could hear his suffering or gave a damn about him, and then one day she took a sword in the heart for her troubles, sacrificing herself to save him, a last act of devotion for a man who had never given her anything back but agony and years of torment. It was a very different man named Saotome Ranma who had later begun a quest seeking personal healing and redemption, not to bury the memories of his loss but to somehow find solace for the wounds to his pride and self-respect that been shattered beyond repair with the sacrifice of his Ucchan. By then the news of the fate of Shampoo had forced him to confront a side of himself that he did not like and could no longer stomach, seeing the arrogant pride and stubbornness that caused him to reject the two girls who professed their love for him in the only ways that they knew how, and for the false love of a woman who had always deep-down despised him. His quest brought him halfway around the world into conflict after conflict, seeking to drown the rage and grief that crushed his soul with the cleansing fires of battle and carnage, where alone he felt alive, pressing himself to his limits without heed to the consequences, uncaring if death awaited him in the end. All that life held open to him was a glorious end in the heat of combat where he would struggle not to simply survive but to find redress for the guilt and remorse that overwhelmed him. Of necessity he would sometimes find himself pitted against opponents far stronger than himself, which was what he yearned for since the ordinary level of opponent held no challenge for him any more. When bested by a superior fighter, he would rally some element within his soul that refused to bow down and surrender, and somehow he would emerge triumphant in spite of being the lesser of two opponents. It was these moments that he lived for, believing no other sort of life could remain for one who had failed in the ultimate test of his manhood...the ability to protect a beloved friend from his own hubris and folly. One time Ranma faced a challenge too great to be overcome and the result was that he got his head handed to him rather badly, leaving him broken and battered while barely clinging to life over an abyss of unimaginable torment. In spite of the pain and the cries of his body to surrender, and in spite of not caring if he lived or died, he still would not give up the struggle and sought to hold on beyond the limits of mere flesh, knowing that to fail was to doom more than himself as a consequence. In that moment he truly understood the meaning of his own life and the significance of his adventures. The faces of friends, enemies and loved ones flashed through his mind, each containing a potent message for his survival as each one represented something that held him back from the edge, that told him to fight on and not give in, to wage the impossible battle against death itself and somehow live on in spite of the impossible precariousness of his current situation. And in that moment when extinction loomed before him, he caught the attention of an entity whose very existence was beyond the scope of mortal comprehension. This entity was less a being than a presence and the scope of its existence transcended anything in Ranma's imagination, and as he hovered between life and death this entity filled the whole of his awareness and demanded Ranma's unwavering attention. After the fleeting sensation of being like a gnat under a microscope as the being thoroughly examined him inside out, Ranma heard a voice speak into his mind, a voice like the opposite of thunder, sublime and all-encompassing with the hint of galaxies born and dying. The voice asked him why he fought to stay alive, and for the longest time Ranma did not have an answer. When Ranma remained silent to the query, the voice continued, stating that Ranma hated himself and that letting go would finally allow him to rest and embrace the peace that awaits him. That word inspired scorn in Ranma, and with an anger that went beyond reason he cried out, that there was no peace for him as he could never be forgiven. The voices answer to that was for him to embrace death and face the penalty for the failure he believed he deserved. It wasn’t in judgement or dismissal of Ranma's pain, or even contempt for his failings as a human being, it just wanted to know why he was forcing himself to live on to endure new pain. Ranma cried back into the void that pain was all he had to live for. He didn’t want to be free of his past as that was where his loved ones still live. The fact that Ranma was willing to fight being despite knowing it was futile intrigued it. so it made him an offer. It joined with Ranma and make him its aspect. Its only condition was that he kept his will to win alive and never surrender, for the day Ranma is defeated in battle he would die. What could he do? The voice explained it to Ranma so that it sounded like a reasonable proposition, and afterwards he woke up from his seeming dream, restored to health and in his proper body. He went on to win his next fight, and the ones after that, the struggle no less difficult than before, only now there was one subtle difference...Ranma knew that he would never be truly hurt or exhausted, that his strength would restore itself with only a moment of rest, and that when he needed to call upon an extra amount of Ki energy, the power would be there to tap into. Gradually he learned that he could exceed his mortal limits and go beyond the scope of his previous power levels. His power was potentially limitless, but never more of it on call than what he needed for a given situation. As long as he kept up his will to fight, the power would be with him, and in time he learned to call upon the rest of Shiva's gift, learning in time the identity of the entity that bore a thousand different names, the living embodiment of destruction and renewal. History Continuum #56281790 Ranma once fought the Demon Genocide. While Ranma was able to defeat him in the end he was still able to take out a quarter of the earth's population. A Very Scary Thought Ranko graduated top of her class in the academy and was finally made into a full-fledged Time Agent after Nabiki convinced the higher-ups by telling them that she and Ranma were the only ones who could keep each other in line. For her first field assignment was to investigate a recent cross-transference event that happened between Continuums 59343921 and 32145896. Since it bore Ranma and Nabiki’s signature they naturally went with her. Ranko was happy that she was going to get to see her friends Lylac and Kachima again only to be told that they were headed to a period when they were still babies. As they sat together within a fairly ordinary diner within the earthly plane that they had journeyed to for a visit Ranko began reminiscing about her friends. However when she started talking about Lylac’s brother Chusen Nabiki and Ranma became intrigued specifically when she informed them that he was something called an Eluini. The two informed her of what an Eluini was. Ranko was shocked to find out that he adopted mother was an Eluni and asked her if it had something to do with the assignment. Nabiki surprised at the question decided it did bear further inquiry. When her expression became thoughtful and momentarily abstracted Ranma knowing that she would be out to lunch for the next couple of minutes decided to go to the bathroom leaving Ranko to look after her paratime-aunt-turned-mother. However when he returned to see Udan near his wife and daughter he slammed into the towering Udan with a fist that glowed bright with righteous fury. The blow was so intense and incredible that an explosive wave of force rang out in all directions like a shotgun blast, only many times more intensive. Moreover still the shockwave it created caused Ranko to flinch away as a portion of the restaurant exploded outward and an entire section of the building was literally blown away by the kinetic shock wave that drove some people from their seats and made it seem to others as if the world were abruptly ending. When the blast was finally concluded Ranma stood with fist extended, his face contorted with hot emotions that had barely been contained by his release. Udan figure stood up tall and unaffected in a deep trench carved into the soil for about seventy meters away gazing back with disdain towards Saotome Ranma as though utterly indifferent to the rage that had been unleashed in his direction. Ranma stormed forward through the gap in the wall and seating booths that he had just created. He closed the distance between himself and Udan and unleashed a furious assault of fists and kicks at the taller man, only to have them blocked and deflected without hardly any motion on the part of the somber giant. Udan did not so much as flinch as he drove a solid backhand into the face of his assailant, and all at once Ranma was rocketing backwards at such a great speed that he might well have been shot out from the muzzle of a canyon. Nabiki and Ranko rushed to his aid and when they found him attempting to continue the fight Nabiki used the spell of subjugation placed on a previous incarnation of Ranma’s. With that dealt with the two woman picked Ranma up and loaded him up into a car, which presently was disguised to resemble a DeLorean. The presence of a Daokan cautioned Nabiki so she decided to head back to headquarters to run some tests and investigate all available data. Ranko was once again shocked when she turned around to the so-called "Dark Man" casually climbing back up into his truck as everything began to repair itself, and even the ground was soon as smooth and undisturbed as the asphalt had been before the battle. Nabiki informed her that it was Ulsa’s doing. Back at the TCP HQ Nabiki stood over her monitoring station supervising Ryonami, her apprentice. As she explained to a confused Ranko that she wasn’t afraid of Udan just what he represented. The presence of the Daokan complicates matters enormously especially given Ranma’s animosity towards him. Ranma remained unapologetic earning him a warning look from his wife. This were further complicated when Ryonami detected that Reka was currently in 59343921 as well. She finally calmed down enough to explain to Ranko who the Daokan were. They were interrupted by Ryonami reporting a crisis flag a Furinkan High School. Looking into it they saw the Nabiki of that continuum fighting David Lo along with Angelique d'Anjou. As the anomaly was causing reverberations all along the timefield. Threatening to tear a hole in the very fabric of reality itself they needed to send in an agent to stop him. However since Nabiki refused to let Ranma go knowing that Udan was in the same plane. It was decided that Ranko would go instead. As they survived continuum 59343921 Ranma commented on how much that Ranma and Nabiki’s relationship reminded him of his own, causing his wife to tell him to shut up. He also commented about how nothings really changed with Ryonami earning him an elbow to the stomach. Since he had already dealt with Genocide before Ranma was already to handle him, but Nabiki still refused to allow him get anywhere near to the same continent as Udan. Meaning that Ranko had to take point in finding out what was going on. Nabiki had Ranko read up on Theosophy to better prepare her to deal with the Daokan. After she finished she and Ranma explained the thinks that confused her. when Ranko asked what their presence met for Lylac and Ekko Nabiki didn’t have an answer. Informing her adopted daughter that as there was a pending disruption to the timeline, suggesting that someone is attempting to tamper with the natural course of events, creating a crossover event that could erase the future timeline that she was familiar with. Ranko wondered how that was possible given that she’s met them already. Nabiki suggested that the Chaos Lords had something to with it. This started an argument between Ranma and Nabiki about the last time they met a Chaos Lord which Ranko quickly put a stop to asking them what the Chaos Lords were and how they were going to disrupt the timeline. They explained what the Chaos Lords were Nabiki stating that they were faced with nothing less than a bold faced attempt to erode the structure of a particular timeframe by direct intervention from forces with allegiance to the Outer Dark. And true to the perversity of their nature these dark forces are operating under the cover of light, pretending to be the opposite of what they actually are and using religion for a cover to pursue their evil objectives. The severity of this infiltration can be measured by the very fact that the Daokan are involved which had Nabiki deeply worried. As she was studying the Continuum she detected an anomaly forming around the Tendo Dojo. A neo-event directly disrupting probability lines nearly caused the total erasure of the normal flow of the timeline. Ranko asked what could do that only to perceive the sudden dark scowl that clouded Ranma’s expression. Who started yelling about how dare they do that to Nabiki. His wife calmed him down reminding him that it wasn’t actually her. Ranko in panic asked what was going on. Her parents explained that there was an assassination attempt on Lylac’s mother’s life, but it was voided before it could solidify into an actual event. Ranma who was making a forcible effort to calm himself down suspected that it was either Ulsa or Anri who did it. However as Nabiki searched for who fired she discovered Reka’s presence and he was attacking Kasumi. Ranma and Ranko were about to go rescue her but Nabiki still refused to let Ranma go and sent Ranko by herself. After she left Ranma and Nabiki turned there focus on who tried to kill Nabiki. When the rest the Daokan arrived to put a stop to the fight taking Ranko and Cheshire with them naturally Nabiki and Ryonami began to panic. Ranma decided to go find them, Nabiki tried to stop him, but he was afraid of what would happen when Udan discovered Ranko comes from a defunct timeline. Nabiki couldn’t come up with a good counter-argument. Ryonami was quick to remind Ranma about the conditions of his deal with Shiva, but he was sure that Nabiki could find away to aid him. After he left Nabiki and Ryonami began searching what they could on Otono. Ranma went to the Tendo Dojo to reminisce on what could have been when he was interrupted by Shampoo, Ukyo, and Perfume who mistook him for a burglar. Perfume confirmed that he was an older version of Ranma, however it was Lylac who was the first to ask him who he was. While Ranma tried to leave after giving them a vague answer they weren’t having it. After telling them that he was not someone they wanted to get to know he promised them that would keep their Ranma and Nabiki safe. With that he walked away, heading into the night and the shadows while Perfume looked on, flanked by Shampoo and Ukyo, who crept up to join her. Ranma and Nabiki joked one last time on what could have been before he headed off to the Otono group. Ranma was searching through Otono’s office as Nabiki researched his connections back at HQ. The more she researched the worse the picture got. He was interrupted by the arrival of Otono and Chuisitsu before he had a chance to say anything he was blasted out the window. The combination of the attack and the sheer drop he took momentarily disoriented Ranma, which he was brought out of by Nabiki in time to deal with the two minions Otono sent. Ranma was not happy to see that they were Cat Girls though he was still more impressed by how far Otono blasted him then them. Nabiki had Ranma head back so she could discuss what she overheard Otono talking about. After she returned Ranko informed her parents what happened. Needless to say Ranma and Nabiki were shocked that not only were all the Daokan together in the same place, but Anri had given a straight answer. However they were horrified at the thought that their younger counterparts had challenged Udan to a fight. Though there main concern the fact that Ariman and the Old Ones might be using the Amakuza and Otono Watanabi in an attempt to breach of the line across the Timewall. Ranma and Nabiki had, had plenty of experience with different types of demons and after hearing about some of them Ranko wondered if Genocide was the cause behind everything. The thought that Genocide was in league with Ariman wasn’t a good one. Nabiki found Anri showing her counterpart the Neflim Lilith. Unsurprisingly he had been expecting them. The two were concerned with Anri’s chosen course of action, and with what the Daokan have planned for the timeline that their counterparts called home. The younger Nabiki who was shocked by the tragedy she sensed in the two finally spoke when she heard that she was a Lore Master. She quickly put 2 and 2 together that the two were Ranko’s parents. Despite Ranma’s warnings to drop it she asked about their past. Anri also stressed that she deserved to know the truth which nearly caused Ranma to attack him. Calming himself down Ranma and Nabiki explained to the younger version their history. After hearing the full story the younger version was filled with a loathing that almost made her vomit. Anri apologized for bringing up painful memories and revealed that Ariman was the true cause of Akane’s insanity. Which Nabiki had already suspected. The younger Nabiki closed her mouth after having stood with it open for the longest of moments, and then called the older out for screwing up her family, though she quickly apologized correctly perceiving the dangerous wrath of a woman who radiated such intense power. After calming down herself Nabiki informed her younger version that they were worried that Anri was using her as a weapon. Anri didn’t deny this, stating that he was about to inform her of the potential consequences. As the younger Nabiki contemplated just how different their life was the conversation moved to the nature of the multiverse. Anri advised her to think about how drastically changed her life would be if different choices were made. Nabiki quickly realized what Anri was doing but before she could stop him he sent the younger Nabiki to a world where she didn’t have so many responsibilities. Anri took Nabiki to a timeline where a parallel timeline where she made a conscious choice to live a very different lifestyle and fused her with her counterpart. When the Kishijoten brought her back and re-divided the two she and Kishijoten comforted Nabiki Tendo has she came to grips with how she’d doomed her world with her bad decisions. Telling her that there still was hope. Anri even allowed her to retain some memory when she was sent back. Anri’s point was that Nabiki’s children were the real hope for a better and brighter era yet to happen. Sati-Nabiki had also concluded this through her own research that in around forty years or so a third yet unborn generation would strike a significant blow against the Lords of Chaos. Nabiki was brought out of the revelation that she’s gonna have grandkids by Shiva-Ranma reminding her about Udan. He was tired of dealing with the Daokan’s games and schemes and much to Nabiki’s horror decided to deal with Udan himself. The older Nabiki just stood there with her expression caught in horrified realization, as Ranma drew her into his arms for a kiss before asking Kishi to wish him luck. When she confirmed that she always does Ranma turned sideways and was gone. Ranma found Udan just as he was dropping Carla, Natsumi, Miyuki and Inspector Morisato back in Nerima. Udan realizing he was there to from fighting he and his wife’s younger counterparts. Knowing that getting him to back down was fruitless Udan agreed and the two left the group there to wonder what had just happened. Udan and Ranma went to #092376541A a dead world that they can destroy at their leisure without causing major disruption to the timelines. The ground beneath their feet began to boil and fizzle as concentrations of energy began to swirl around their bodies. The earth itself began to tremble as it sensed the gathering of forces in one area where the residual "ley lines" of the planet converged to pour down energies of an indescribable magnitude with lightning flashes and static discharges marking the potency of the two contending individuals who marked the coming doom of this dimension. Two beings who quite literally have at their disposal the potential raw energy of an entire cosmos. Udan is backed by the power of Earth and Water, which means the planet itself is his to command, but also through his ties to the Group Mind of humanity he has the psychic force of billions of people augmenting his own power. Ranma may be linked through Shiva to the primal force of Destruction, but Udan's power is exponential and doesn't have a limiting factor beyond his general concern with preserving material order and safeguarding the lives of ordinary people, and he was currently in a dimension where he didn’t have to worry about collateral damage to civilians. Despite this Ranma refused to call forth Shiva insisting that he could handle Udan himself. This proved to be far from the case as not only did Udan absorb all of his attacks as if they were nothing his own were devastating. Even when Ranma could only barely manage to stand erect, he still forced his tired and battered body to lurch forwards only for Udan to not even bother to dodge effortlessly shrug off an attack that could have split an entire mountain in twain. Ranma finally decided to accept Shiva’s help when Udan demonstrated just how outclassed he was. And so the battle was joined in earnest, a contest between two Champions of Order whose combined might was beyond imagination with the planet itself shuddering for the outcome, and Death waiting in the offing for the one who would shortly be found lacking. Pitted against one another these two giants within their respective fields of combat could make worlds tremble beneath their heals as they traded blows and sought to gain whatever advantage could be won by matching arms with one another. The main difference between them, however, was that Ranma was giving it every thing that he could while Udan measured his own intensity and curbed the bulk of his power so that he had much more in reserve than what had already been expended. As such it was not long at all until Ranma reached the end of his tether and was near to exhausting his resources, at which point Udan surged forward and took advantage of his foe's waning abilities, delivering a series of devastating blows that humbled the other man and sent Ranma smashing hard into the dirt, imbedding him momentarily right up to his neck. However instead of finishing him off Udan revealed that his aim from the very start was to use the energy they unleashed during their battle to resurrect this dead universe. As he was recovering from his injuries Ranma revealed he had his own hidden motives. Just as Udan realized that Ulsa had attacked NERV by herself Ranma reminded him that his wife was a Lore Master backed by the powers of the Time Core. Udan tried to raise a protest but he was already being translocated to some other planar location. With that Ranma forced himself to return to the Temporal Nexus knowing it would do no good to put off the inevitable. Despite withering Nabiki’s glare Ranma squared his shoulders and forced himself to step forward, knowing that facing the music was better than trying to evade it. As experience had taught him that offering up any kind of apology or explanation to an angry woman would only lead to even greater trouble. Hearing that NERV had stumbled on a way to craft Orachalcum bullets Ranma wanted to be sent in to deal with them. this caused him to wilt under the intensity of Nabiki’s glare a such a suggestion. At that point Ryonami and Gosunkuji realized that Lilith was awakening. Nabiki responded by having them contact Central to inform them of this new development. Ranma and Nabiki were watching Anri train Davin when Udan returned. Nabiki gave Udan a wary eye while Ranma just glowered his way while he uttered a gruff remark about how long it took him to return. off to one side the latter giving Udan a wary eye while her husband just glowered his way. Udan felt the urge to take a step towards his erstwhile rival but immediately checked the impulse as he felt the slight displeasure radiating from Ulsa. The next moment Nabiki told him that she didn’t mean any ill will by sending him to fight Majin Buu it was just necessary. Udan glowered in spite of his unvoiced admiration for the audacity of the woman and her actions. However he calmed down considerably when Ulsa revealed that it had been her idea. When he asked her why Ulsa arched one eyebrow and gave Udan a frankly bland expression before telling him that for ages on end he has been her champion and protector, but at times his attitude towards her can be suffocating and patronizing, because he refuses to see her as an equal in all ways and prefer to believe that she is weak and helpless, in need of his unflinching protection. Udan’s astonishment was beyond measure as he gazed at the woman whom he had known for thousands of years as though she had become a complete stranger. She then went on to say that he wasn’t equipped to deal with Lilith which was why she recruited Amalthea and Luna as they could act where she was powerless to do so. Udan seemed to be struggling with himself as he considered what his wife was telling him, then reluctantly favored her with a faintly hurt expression. Asking her if she had so little faith in him that she would have him detained fighting a meaningless battle while she risked it all taking matters into her own hands. She replied by asking him what he would have done to escape SEELE’s trap. Udan thought a moment about that then glanced away, leaving the question unanswered, which in itself was a tacit self-indictment, for which Ulsa favored him with a look of soft indulgence. Ulsa wasn’t prepared to risk his personal health and safety. She also wanted a taste of what he goes through every time he faces their enemies. Ulsa was tired of taking a back seat to the heroism of her brothers. Udan’s surprise was complete as he stared incredulously at the woman he knew as more than just a sister. He struggled to form a coherent means of expressing his emotions, only to feel the warmth of her smile as she gazed upon him with great fondness, a thought so light that it felt like a soft caress against his cheek, belied only by the sadness in her eyes as she conveyed to him the rest of her unspoken meaning. The pedestal she was on was starting to feel cold and distant. She wants a taste of what it truly means to live, to risk life for the sake of a greater purpose, to feel the uncertainty and peril of a moment when life and death hang in the balance and all that is left to you is the courage of your convictions. For not she was content to let Udan continue to play the hero, but he needed to know that she reserves the option of doing this again should she ever deem it necessary. When Udan asked how she thought that would make him feel knowing that she was facing danger alone. Ulsa replied by lifting her nose and giving him a particularly haughty look, then told him that he would finally know what she felt like for the past twelve thousand years. Udan looked on with a blank-faced stare as his wife went off arm-in-arm with Amalthea, then he blinked his eyes---a feat he had rarely done in all the ages---and just felt…odd about the whole matter. Ranma took the opportunity to comfort him pointing out that you can do everything right and still end up feeling like crap with just a glance from your significant other. Udan’s massive shoulders slumped slightly and he relaxed his own posture by more than a fraction, replying that he’d be a much wiser man if he knew the answer to that. Ranma also informed him that Shiva was willing to abide a truce since seeing Udan fall into that Temporal Trap warmed him far more than the two of them beating each other to a pulp. Udan conceded that Ranma did technically win ready to move on to his match with his and Nabiki’s younger counterparts. Ranma only reply was that they might surprise him. The group were watching Anri training David when Ranko arrived. She weakly waved a hand and affected a jaunty mood that she hardly felt, only to have her expression turn to pure astonishment as she caught sight of Udan Ranma quickly calmed her down. Her parents explained what was going on as well as revealed that they knew what she had been up to. Ranko blush at the realization of just how transparent she was before her parents. Nabiki was also aware of Heiko’s existence. This revelation shocked Ranma who realized that she was the reason the Daokan were involved. Udan confirmed this however he also expressed his regret that with with Ahriman striking in the past against Heiko even the Daokan’s hands were tied since acting against him now would be to court universe-shattering disaster. Ranko was quick to speak up on behalf of her friend refusing to let Udan just destroy the universe. Udan’s scowl became almost menacing, and genuine irritation showed traces within his dark brown eyes. Pointing out that there was no other way. The Daokan dare not act too brazenly to supply their own agents to serve as a counterbalance or the combined weight of such force will by itself destabilize the Cosmos. Therefore they must act through servants and agents already in the field…and he fears the balance is currently heavily weighted against them. This caused Nabiki to eye the dark man with a sense of knowing something to which even a near-omniscient being such as this was not yet privy. Ranko asked if her temporal siblings joining would help. Udan answered that they must act in teams and for limited intervals, and only where they can do the most good, which require split-second timing that would be difficult even for a full-fledged Time Lord. Any more than and their very presence could destabilize the Timeline and cause a collapse through which Ahriman might appear, seeking to harvest as many souls as he could reach directly with his tendrils. Instead of a deterrent this gave Ranko hope telling Udan not to sell her friends out so soon and reminded him that she had Yggdrassil to back her up. Udan considered this, and this time was not so quick to register dismissal. However he still pointed out that it still required that Ranma and Nabiki’s younger counterparts be strong enough. Ranma and Nabiki assured Udan that would be the case as he himself would find out within a day. Udan conceded that if that was the case then he would judge them capable of prevailing against the darkness and yield to them the right to attempt this. However should they fail then the best that he could offer them is a merciful ending as it was far greater mercy than they would know should Ahriman win out and harvest this entire timeline for its energies. Ranko was shocked by the callousness of that statement, even more so when her parents agreed. With that the dark man turned and strode away, and within a few long strides mounted the cabin of his Kenworth truck and climbed back into the driver’s seat before starting the rig up with a belch of fire and smoke, then wheeling it around and pulling away into the surf, turning his mighty eighteen wheeled conveyance away from the shore and towards the landward shoreline. Ranko turned away from the sight and confronted her adoptive parents with a mildly hurt expression. She called them out for so callously throwing Lylac’s parents to the wolves. Nabiki told Ranko that they knew what they were doing and that she should never be so quick to write off a member of their clan when their back is up against the wall and the odds seem wildly against their favor. With that Ranko took them back to the Halochamber so that they could meet Heiko. Abilities Ranma is the Avatar of Shiva so has unlimited fighting potential Notes *Ranma-chan was Raped at some point in her life. *The terms of his contract with Shiva means Ranma cannot lose a battle or he will die. Category:Temporal Nexus (Timecop/Lord Calvin of Otherwhen)